We are gratified to receive a growing number of donations for our work to advance fair elections. You can mail checks or make a secure online contribution to the Center. The Center is non-profit, non-partisan organization, and donations are tax-deductible. See a review of our work in 2004 here.

Your gift will address a central problem: American democracy is not what we deserve.

Voter turnout has plunged to single digits in a growing number of communities, and the United States placed 139th in a recent international survey of national election turnout.

Fewer U.S. House incumbents lost to challengers in 2002 than ever before, and for the third straight election, more than nine in ten races were won by comfortable margins of at least 10%.

The U.S. Senate pursues its important business without a single African American or Latino Member. The number of women in Congress has stalled at less than 15%, and the number of women in state legislatures has decreased since 1998.

Major elections, including presidential elections in 1992, 1996 and 2000, are won candidates who receive less than a majority of the votes. Third party candidates all too easily can be "spoilers". At the same time, despite strong voter interest in third parties being a meaningful part of our electoral landscape, fewer than 10 are among the nearly 8,000 state representatives and Members of Congress.

But there are signs of hope, and it is a wonderful time for your support. On our signature work for fair elections, we see more opportunities than ever to promote instant runoff voting and full representation and to draw attention to the flaws of winner-take-all elections. Our phones are figuratively ringing off the hook every day with requests for help. But with foundations giving fewer grants in the wake of the decline in the stock market, individual giving is critically important. Please consider a generous donation to the Center for Voting and Democracy.

For additional background on the Center, please read our chairman John Anderson's December 2003 appeal for support. For prior communications, see our archive of letters to members.  Please contact Rob Richie at 301-270-4616 or [email protected] if you would like to discuss a contribution or if your contribution might be eligible for matching by your employer. Our great thanks in advance.

For donations at any time, you can donate online through PayPal by clicking the link below:

You can also mail a check to:

Center for Voting and Democracy
6930 Carroll Avenue Suite 610   
Takoma Park, MD  20912

We thank you for your support.